It is important that children develop basic mathematical skills at an early age. One important mathematical skill is the ability to count. Children in the age range of four-to-five are generally expected to be able to count to one-hundred by the end of kindergarten. In between kindergarten and second grade, children are expected to learn how to add and subtract. By the end of third grade, children are commonly expected to learn basic multiplication skills.
It is desirable to have learning games and toys that reinforce basic mathematical skills. Flash cards are one common technique to teach children how to add numbers. The exact beginning of the use of flash cards as an educational method is not known, but is probably at least a hundred years old. Variations on flash cards, such as writing questions and answers on a piece of slate, may be even older. Flash cards commonly have an arithmetic question printed on one side (e.g., "2+2=?") and an arithmetic answer printed on the other side (e.g., "4").
It is well-known that traditional flash cards are a comparatively poor self-learning method for many small children. One problem is that small children typically have an extremely limited attention span (e.g., less than five minutes for pre-school children). Consequently, small children may become easily bored when they use traditional flash cards. Also, small children may become easily distracted such that they "forget" their answer before flipping over the flash card to reveal the correct answer. Additionally, children less than 6 years old have limited fine motor skills, which may make it easy for them to accidently drop a stack of conventional flash cards. Also, for many children it is tempting to peek at the correct answer on the flash card without seriously attempting their own answer.
One attempted solution to the problem of "peeking" is the use of flash cards that have coded answers imprinted upon them such that the user cannot read the answer with the naked eye. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,587, a user may read an uncoded question on a portion of the flash card. The user may then insert the flash card into a special holder which comprises an array of one or more openings which align with features on a camouflaged patterned portion of the flash card to reveal a coded answer (e.g., the holes align with patterned areas on the card). However, this decoding approach requires alignment and registration of the patterned openings of the decoder and the patterned features on the flash card. Consequently, the flash card needs to be carefully aligned in the decoder in order to achieve the required registration. This may make it difficult for adults to quickly insert new flash cards into the holder. Also, since small children have limited fine motor skills, false readings may result if a child does not fully insert the flash card.
Moreover, peeking is not the only problem that users have using flash cards. A generic problem with flash cards is that they are a comparatively slow, boring, learning method which does not provide sufficient stimulation and reinforcement for many users.
Children, in particular, have special educational needs which are not addressed by conventional flash cards. One problem is that children have a short attention span. Even flipping a conventional flash card over to reveal an answer on its reverse side may create too long a time delay for some small children. Many children learn better if they write out an answer rather than merely orally reciting an answer. Writing down an answer involves kinesthetic and visual modes of learning. However, writing an answer down on a separate piece of paper is inconvenient and not as efficacious as desirable. For example, if a child writes down answers on a separate piece of paper, they must glance between the paper and the correct answers. This may lead to confusion of the child, particularly if their answer sheet has numerous attempted answers written upon it after a period of study. Also, in some cases, such as while driving in a car, it may be impractical for a child to write an answer down on a separate piece of paper. Another problem with having a child write an answer on a separate piece of paper is that the child may become bored. Unless comparing their written answer with the actual answer is quick and fun, many children are likely to be quickly bored.
Flash cards are also used by adults in a variety of fields. Adults have longer attention spans than children. However, adults often use flash cards when they are tired or bored. In particular, college students in a variety of disciplines use flash cards. However, college students may easily become bored flipping through hundreds of flash cards after hours of studying. They, too, may have a tendency to "peek" at the correct answer rather than seriously working out the answer themselves. In some circumstances, such as reviewing flash cards while commuting on a train, it may be impractical to write answers down on a separate piece of paper. Also, in some subjects (e.g., biology or organic chemistry), it may be highly desirable to create a rough sketch corresponding to the subject of the flash card and to have a means to quickly compare one's sketch to the correct structure in close proximity to each other.
The learning efficacy of flash cards is not as high as desirable. Students often become bored during extended self-study drills with flash cards. There is a temptation to "peek" at the correct answers. Also, the retention rate in long term memory is often lower than desirable because students do not attempt to write down an answer to the problem. Unfortunately, no previously known flash card holder prevents peeking at the correct answer while also providing an apparatus which permits a method of using flash cards in a more efficacious manner.
What is desired is a flash card holder and method of use that improves the ability of users to efficaciously use flash cards.